It's
rainy, windy and cold in Benton County, Indiana today. Operation Migration's
Heather Ray says: "I can't imagine any species will be migrating
south today. I can guarantee WE won't be!"

Meanwhile,
are you wondering what's going on with the 2001 and 2002 ultralight flocks?
These birds are not migrating yet, but are still--with
a few exceptions--in the core reintroduction
area in or near Necedah NWR . Of course, they know their own way south
and don't need the ultralights anymore. Below are pictured one bird from
HY (hatch year) 2001 and four birds from HY 2002. You'll find the up-to-date
history and whereabouts of these individuals on these Journey North pages:
Meet the Flock HY 2001
and Meet the Flock HY 2002.To follow the 2001
and 2002 birds' unaided migration south, see periodic updates on the International
Crane Foundation's page.Tomorrow we'll
give you an update on those wonderful birds in the only remaining natural
flock of migratory Whooping cranes, now arriving in Texas from their nesting
grounds in Canada's far north.

Yesterday
we asked you why it was so much colder at high altitudes, which are
closer to the sun. Compare the answer you wrote with this one: Sunlight,
or solar energy, comes through nmost of the atmosphere without warming
it much. Sunlight does warm the ground or water when it hits them,
however. The warm ground or water then warms the air next to it. The
farther from the ground, the cooler the air usually is.

Given
the answer above, why do you think the ultralights must fly at sunrise
or very early in the day?